


Relationship Problems - Prologue

by CrystalMoonlightI



Series: Huniepop: Problems Series - Relationship Problems [1]
Category: HuniePop (Video Game)
Genre: Arguing, Blackmail, Branching Storyline, Cheating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, F/M, Heavy Drinking, Huniepop, Moral Dilemmas, Moving On, Musicians, Romance, Self-Discovery, Sexual Content, breaking up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 18:45:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7652596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalMoonlightI/pseuds/CrystalMoonlightI
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike was in a failing band before Kyu became his love fairy. Now, he's in a steady relationship with Tiffany. He was seeing Audrey before that too, but he drifted away from her. Suddenly, the beautiful blonde cheerleader is starting to become distant from Mike, all while he is simply trying to forget the past. Confused, he goes to Kyu for some advice. However, he will soon learn that the power of choice comes with consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Dilemma

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ THE NOTES SECTION BEFORE CONTINUING!
> 
> I've been working on this story over on Fanfiction.net for quite a while. Now I feel as though it's ready to make its debut over here, too! Join Mike Winters, a Musical Studies graduate from a small town community college, as he tries to piece his life together. Witness his struggles as he fights to keep his chaotic romantic life under control - all while making a name for his upcoming Rock band, Third Betrayal. 
> 
> This tale has multiple storylines to cover his involvement with different girls! As the name suggests, this story acts as a prologue to the adventure. After reading these first five chapters it is totally up to you! Pick one of the three storyline routes and decide how Mike and the girl's lives change! Below is a list of the three routes and their current levels of progress.
> 
> Redhead - Audrey (Completed)  
> Blondie - Tiffany (Work in progress)  
> Magenta - Kyu (Coming after the completion of the 'Blondie' path)
> 
> Well - that's everything! I hope you enjoy the read!

There was something wrong with Tiffany lately. She hadn't been the same over the last few weeks. She was spacing out left and right, while her relationships with her friends seemed to be failing fast. The only person she took the time to talk to now was her boyfriend, the new guy that turned up on campus a couple of months back, Mikey.

Something had to be done before it was too late. If Tiff closed off anymore then it was likely she wouldn't talk to anyone at all. So, with little time to act, the young man sat in his apartment and pondered.

He sighed as he slipped on his white vest over his toned chest, his eyes gazed toward the lounge mirror as he did so, "What do you suggest, Kyu? The girl's checked out half the time and I don't think anything will help," He explained - putting on his body spray.

Gentle wings fluttered in from the living room in response to the question. The cute lady fairy hovered a little off the ground with a slightly downcast expression upon her usually cheery face, "Why not try and take her out on a date?" she suggested enthusiastically in return.

"Also," the pinkish-haired mythical beauty waggled her finger, "Don't go saying things won't help," she added sternly - whacking the young; toned man with peroxide hair across the head with a rolled up newspaper.

"After all," Kyu continued, placing her slender fingers upon the young male's broad shoulders, "They all said you were a lost cause in my world; a twenty-two year old virgin that played in a deadbeat band. Now look at you…. You certainly gave Audrey a few nights she won't forget, and you have a totally new image."

Mikey rolled his eyes before inspecting his finely trimmed goatee in the mirror, "It's not like Audrey is a badge of achievement now, is she?" He turned his back, reaching across for his denim jacket sprawled across the couch, "She came over and drank all of my liquor; smoked around sixty cigarettes; stuck her drunk ass in the air, and let me do all the work."

"Aww, don't be like that," Kyu interrupted with a chuckle. She sat herself on the shiny leather couch and stretched out her legs with a yawn, "You should have seen her leaving your apartment the next morning. She kept on looking at your picture on her phone, and her cheeks were bright red. I think she really has a thing for you."

"That was a couple of months ago, Kyu," he replied in swift tone of frustration, "She stopped calling, so I let it go... I don't think it was serious anyway."

A playful giggle escaped from the love fairy, "Did you want it to be serious or something?"

"We're supposed to be talking about Tiff here, not Audrey," Mikey was hasty in reply - wanting to try and bury any thoughts about the time he spent with that girl. In fact, there was a part of him that wanted to start from scratch like it never happened.

Kyu groaned with an undertone of annoyance as she turned over on her back. Her wings fluttered gently as she continued in her quiet claim of the couch, "Ohh, come on, Mike…. Audrey has problems, we know that…. But for real dude... think about it. Tiffany must do too, or else she wouldn't be so quiet around you lately."

Mike had reached that conclusion on his own. He didn't need the help of his love fairy to figure it out. Still, to say it had played over in his mind enough to become a cause for concern was untrue. However, for the longest time he'd kept it pushed to the back of his thoughts.

The young man with emerald eyes scooped up his freshly polished shoes off the hardwood floor, "Well, it seems like we're both having problems right about now," he sighed, giving a glance to Kyu as he slipped on his footwear.

With his shoes out of the way, the ruggedly smooth gentleman smiled weakly at his magenta-haired friend, "I need to figure out what the Hell is bothering Tiffany... and I need to try and forget about a certain redhead, too."

Kyu didn't make any effort to move anymore. She was set firmly upon the couch, her wings outstretched, and her eyex fixated on a slightly more adult magazine that she'd 'borrowed' from Mike's room, "You don't seem too interested in dealing with anyone's issues right now," she said while flicking between pages, "It looks like you're all set to hit the club if you ask me."

The blunt words of the petite fairy lady bore a hint of snide animosity - Mike felt it a mile off. He gave a short grunt of annoyance as he made his way toward the door, "Well, I can't fix problems tonight, now can I?" He shook his head shortly - placing a hand upon handle.

"It's Friday night, after all," Mike's smooth; deep voice chimed through to Kyu as he pulled the doorway open with a small growl, "You know I hit Lusties club on a Friday."

It was almost time to make an exit. He stood in the doorway - checking his attire one last time with precision, "Looking good tonight."

Everything seemed in place - dressed to kill, clad in his best jeans and tee; his peroxide-blond hair scruffily styled with its usual flare, and his nice new shoes polished to a perfect shine. "I'm heading out," Mike reached back for the door handle, "Call me on the Huniebee if you need something."

"You know what I think you should do, lover boy?" Kyu came back lazily from her place in the lounge.

The voice of the pretty fairy; his guardian in a sense, was enough to make Mike delay his departure for a moment. He spun around and went back to Kyu for the moment. Oh God, not again, she was popping open the buttons of her loose fitting pink dress.

"What do you have in mind?" Mike asked half-cocked - trying his best to ignore what the fairy was starting to _do_ on his couch.

"It's pretty simple really," she answered half-heartedly - the mythical beauty was definately more focused on pulling down her garments - tight pink panties very much on show at this point, "Call one of the girls tonight, arrange a meet, and sort out your shit dude, I'm serious! You can't keep avoiding this forever, playa."

Mike smiled weakly at the advice. Conflict surged in in his green eyes, and he could most certainly feel it in his heart as well. Regardless, he kept smiling and nodded his head gently, "….I'll do that. You know Kyu, you're a little crazy, but you're not a bad girl."

"You're," Kyu gasped softly as she brought her hand downward to a more _delicate_ region, "…not a bad guy yourself!"

The young gent couldn't contain his slight frustration over the activity his slender fairy girl was _partaking_ in. He turned his back - heading for the door again, "….Well, I'm out... and for goodness sakes Kyu... don't do anything nasty on my couch. I'm not getting it cleaned again."

"No promises," Miss Sugardust rasped - naughtly giggles slipping free from her lips.

"I swear," Mike sighed softly, "You're something else, you know that?"

"Ohhhh C'mon dude! You know you _love_ me..."

A soft chuckle was the best Mike could find on his way out. He smiled - thinking back to the memories of Kyu's arrival. As whacky as she was, he owed her a lot. "Yeah... You're strange as ever, but I wouldn't be without you."

* * *

A couple of hours sat by the bar in Lustiles, it truly didn't change anything. The different scenery wasn't exactly acting as paradigm to soothe Mike's conflicted thoughts. He sat there with his drink at the ready. As each minute crept by he simply sat looking down at his phone in the left hand. All the while, he sipped upon the glass of neat tequila in his right. His thumb pressed against the touch screen - flicking between two names in the call directory, two women he knew well.

"Audrey or Tiffany…. Dammit, why can't this crap be easy?" He muttered under his breath - internally screaming for everything to make more sense.

The uncertain man with dark-green eyes kept his finger hovering over the 'cal'l button. His choice was made, perhaps by impulse; perhaps by his best judgement. He didn't know what was making him decide like he was, but alas, something needed to be done. He couldn't sit here all night long in debate.

All of the other patrons danced under the glow of neon lights; they drank their drinks without a care in the world, and dammit, they were having a good time - something he. "...I should be up there enjoying myself too... not sat here wasting my time."

It was that line of thought that brought him to a conclusion.

"Kyu's right…. I need to sort this entire mess out." Mike felt his heart pounding violently in his chest. The red organ at the core of his body thumped so violently that it threatened to overload. A small twinge of pain surged forth as his thumb pressed down upon the 'call' icon on screen.

The dial tone chimed loudly within Mikey's right ear as he held it close. With each ring of the cell phone his breathing became a little deeper. The tension, it was unreal, enough to make his sense of self jar a little as he waited for the inevitable.

Moments passed - increments of time that seemed to drag on forever, "Please... pick up... I don't need the stress right now."

There was a click - and finally the horrible silence shattered, "Hey," there came a gentle voice over the line, "Mike... I was just about to call you."

"Tiffany, sweetheart…. It's me. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up tonight." Mike's tone of voice was both kind and compassionate, with a hint of warmth. There was nothing but silence at first, but the band vocalist still held his phone close to his ear while he awaited a reply.

"Sure thing," Miss Maye answered; her voice was a little more upbeat this time, "How about our usual coffee shop? We haven't been there in a while." she suggested casually, "I don't feel like drinking tonight... I've got essays due in a few days."

"You mean Nutmeg? That's fine with me," Mike said with a nod as he moved toward the exit, "I need a little something to sober me up anyhow. I'll see you whenever you're ready - and please, take your time. No need to rush."

A strange feeling hung in the air - Mike felt it, as if Tiffany really wanted to say something. wanted to speak more than anything - but she seemed hesitant. This kind of thing was so out of character for her.

"….I'm glad you called, Mikey….. There's something I need to ask you when we meet up, okay? It's been going around in my head for a little while now.

Mike downed his drink and made a swift exit from the nightclub. As he arrived outside, past the students and drunken patrons - the cool night air caressed his face, "…If you need to talk Tiffany, I'm all ears. Anyhow, I'm heading in the way of the coffee shop now, so I'll see you soon."

"That's great... and Mike? Thank you. I've been needing to talk for a while now." With a click - the line went dead, leaving the blond man alone with his thoughts.

"I better get moving," Mikey began, making the way toward his destination.

At first he was quick, sidestepping people in the busy evening streets. His journey was a smooth one, at least that was the case for a little while Footsteps started following close behind, heeled footsteps - their pace picked up with every passing second.

"Someone's following me..." Seconds slipped into minutes - all the while Mike's pulse rose higher. Whoever it was, they sure were persistent.

Finally losing his cool, Mike growled with frustration, swinging back to glare daggers at his mysterious pursuer, "Would you quit follow-"

A familiar sight brought waves of shock to coursing through his whole body. His powerful eyes of green remained wide - focused in hard upon a pair of red orbs.

"Audrey?!"

"You're damn right!" She stood firmly in place - her slender white fingers resting angrily upon her hips. The frilly red dress she wore, along with her long ruby hair, they were both reminders of intimate nights that Mike was torn between embracing and forgetting.

"So, asshole," Miss Belrose stomped closer, eyes narrowed for the kill. "YOU MIND TELLING ME WHO THE FUCK TIFFANY IS?"

Mike froze to the spot. Utter fear pulsed through his entire body at the sound of that violent feminine scream. His hands remained at their sides while his mind worked in overdrive to figure out a valid response, "A-Audrey," he stammered, "...It's not how it looks..."

"You know," the frilly French girl looked down to the ground - fury burned deep from within her, but beyond that there was a hint of something else - pain.

"When I said you could do whatever the Hell you wanted," she paused - her pale hands crunched into fists, "...I didn't mean you could start seeing other girls, you dick. You're mine... you got that? _Mine_!"

The beautifully dressed European lady raged forward - grabbing Mike by the shoulders, "You have five seconds to explain that phone call to me, or I'm gonna kick your balls into next week!"

There was no freedom of choice anymore - Mike had to choose right now. Right in front of him was Audrey. If he turned his back on Tiffany he would still be able to justify his actions and salvage things here, or so he thought.

However, there was also the cheerleader to think about. He couldn't just turn abandon her - not after all they'd been through.

"Well... I'm waiting, "Audrey dug her nails in hard, "...Don't you dare lie to me."

Whatever Mike's choice, there would be no going back, and certainly no restarts. Life wasn't just a trivial game.

**To be continued….**


	2. The Band

Mike shuddered - stuck in place. There was no way in hell he was going to find his way out of this one. Audrey was completely furious. Not only that, but she had him cornered here. With nowhere to run, he had no choice but to submit - his hands held up in surrender to the terrifying diva.

"Hear me out for a second, Audrey," the young man uttered swiftly - his feet attempting to back up a few defensive paces.

A dark scowl distorted the face of the redhead, all while her nails tightened in their grip. "I can't decide if I wanna hear your bullshit excuses. Who is she, Mike? I heard the way you called her 'sweetheart'…" Words that bore truest venom - Miss Belrose wasn't backing down.

At that point, Mike had no way to defend himself. He struggled to keep his cool under the pressure, held in place by a painful iron grip , "Look, I'm-"

"You're what?" Audrey cut the blond-haired man off with a violent shout before he could finish, "…This has happened to me before. You guys get cornered and you come up with so many shitty excuses... Well? C'mon! Fuck... you're getting on my nerves."

Mike felt his body sinking in the middle of a conflicting sea. There wasn't much sense to be made of this situation at all. He'd met Audrey months ago, but she was always so distant - never staying for more than one night, and hardly ever keeping in contact.

_'That was why we drifted apart like this... and now you come back? Christ, Audrey... you're yelling at me like we're married.'_

A sigh escaped - its sharpness cutting through the tension. "For somebody that always makes out she doesn't care, you're really getting angry over this."

It was time to face the demon - running wasn't going to solve anything. Alas, Mike brought his emerald gaze up to connect with Audrey. The intensity of his stare was piercing; the degree of those prying eyes even caused young lady in the dress to flinch for a second - her red glare veering away.

"What the Hell are you looking at me like that for?" Audrey questioned with a searing shout.

Mike's leer continued in its intrusiveness, almost as if he were trying to look into the very soul of the vixen. There was something deep within those eyes of Audrey's; behind all of the anger, hidden away beneath the venom she held in her bitter frown - he wanted to know more than anything what it was.

There was silence now, especially as Audrey threw her long red hair back - releasing Mike to place both slender hands on her hips, "Stop glaring… RIGHT NOW!" Her voice cracked into a high-pitched shout, "I mean it..."

It was after many passing moments that the rugged gent saw it - the pain buried deep beneath the surface that the French girl was hiding.

"….You care about me a lot more than you let on," Mike spoke softly as he averted his gaze. "That's clearly your issue here... otherwise you wouldn't be making such a big deal about all this.."

Audrey's body language changed fast; became very stiff and almost robotic, "What? Are you high or something dude?!" Her eyes becoming wide for the slightest moment, that was before they focused back in as a narrowed; stabbing glare.

"If all I am to you is some two-bit tumble you spend the weekends with, then just let me know." Mike held his head back up - with a nervous shuffle in his step as he crept back, "Then at least that way, we can both admit we made a mistake and walk away…."

"Well, yeah," Audrey barked, "Of course that's all you were, you know?! I told you, do whatever the hell you want!"

Those words; the way said them, the aggressive tone in which they came across - they hurt Mike terribly, "Fine," he bit back with a scoff of disgust, his expression growing steely as he turned away, "I guess… we're done then."

This situation, had been resting dormant in the back of his mind for a long time. Ever since Mike met Audrey, a part of him always wondered how long they would be together. Now, the answer to that question was clear.

With a sigh, he started slowly moving his feet away. Each passing second brought with it a memory of their past - and precious moments he'd never get back.

However, just as he was about to turn the corner and go out of sight - his feet froze to the concrete. He had to say something - anything to let the feelings he'd buried for so long come to light. Indeed, Mike felt in his heart that he had to turn back one last time.

Though somewhat solemn, his expression still bore a weak smile, "Thanks," he uttered softly, the edges of his mouth curved into a showing of kindness, "….I'm glad I got the chance to meet you, Audrey. You're not as bad as you try to make yourself seem…."

There wasn't a reason to wait any longer, not now. As the sharply dressed fellow turned around again, his feet began to move subconsciously. Finally, they pulled him around the corner and out of sight.

"It was fun while it lasted..."

Ten in the evening - and right now Mike couldn't scrape his thoughts together properly. "Dammit... I need a fucking drink..."

Neon lights and loud voices - the students were out in force on this, a Friday night. Yet another reminder of how everybody else was having fun but him.

Feet closed in - the pounding of shoes echoing within his ears. Oh great, somebody was on his tail again.

"...Wait," Audrey called out with fire. There she was again, veering around the corner to cut him off at the top of the street. She held fast - barring his advance with open arms, deep gasps for breath escaping from her ruby lips.

For the longest time Mike didn't respond. No, there was too much going around inside his head.

_'Why are you following me like this? It'd be better for us both if we just went our seperate ways and let this come to an end... I don't get you, Audrey... not one bit.'_

"I'm not letting you walk away from me that easy, you jerk," she huffed - refusing to budge, "I shouldn't feel like this... you're just some guy, and that's what makes me so fucking mad!" Her voice shook under the pressure, "...Mike... you're a pain in my ass."

"Yet you're the one that keeps following _me_ ," Mike shook his head - his whispered words fizzling into the nothingness of night

Some people were straightforward. What you saw at a glance was a strong painting of their personality. Audrey Belrose, however, was no such case. True, she was indulgent; selfish, and uncaring at a glance. So why in the world was she being so persistent?

In a single deft movement he removed his jacket - tossing it over shoulder. He had to take his mind off things - thinking back to how he met her it bothered him to no end. "….I guess that's why I wanted to forget about it... because back then, when Kyu first turned up... a little while before I met Audrey, I was pathetic."

His mind cast back, the blond reluctantly started to reminisce. Four months didn't seem like a lot, but so much happened since then.

"Can't believe it's been that long already," Mikey sighed.

"Hey! What are you whispering for?!" Audrey's voice boomed - but it fell upon deaf ears.

It was bizarre how life worked. A single decision held the power to thrust everything down a very different path from the one currently travelled. Alas, his awareness of the present day surroundings faded into nothingness. Mike's thoughts took several steps back. It was as if he was there all over again - in Lusties nightclub where he met Audrey for the very first time.

* * *

A figure clad in denim with a rugged facade stood backstage at Lusties nightclub; his gaze fixed impatiently upon a mirror. "….I don't know how I feel about this whole denim look, Kyu. I mean, it's been sat in my closet since New Year, but, it doesn't feel like it fits yet." Uncertainty laced his smooth voice - a pair of stiff shoulders turning around to examine the fullness of the attire.

A slender hand reached out to grip him softly by the arm. He turned his head slightly and saw a petite young woman in a long; revealing brown dress with loose straps. "You look good, Mike. Beats all those crappy movie shirts you wore when I first saw you."

Kyu's human outfit always gave a 'lasting' impression. Her words however were more than enough to earn soft chuckle, "Least I don't sit around In bars wearing wigs," he retorted with a smile, "Besides, the pink suits you more," Mike smiled, "You should show off your natural color more often."

Kyu growled playfully - her fingers tensing around his arm even tighter. "The same wig I'm wearing right now…."

"Still prefer the pink," Mike smirked, "For some strange reason the whole 'candyfloss' look works for you."

"Yeah, whatever... smartass," Kyu pouted softly as she delivered a gentle punch to Mke's shoulder, "That'll keep you on your toes!"

Damn that was hard - Mike rubbed his arm, "Kinda rough, don't ya think?"

"Payback for making fun of my hair," Kyu gave a sinister wink, "Now... it's almost time for you to go on stage. Let's go over the important shit one more time."

The excited fairy gave an energetic fist-pump, "Confidence, Mikey. You have a new look and a new direction for your band. Keep it cool."

"Yeah, right," the young man spun round on his heels to grab a microphone from one of the stage managers, "I'm the boss…. I need to keep telling myself that," he uttered softly - giving Kyu a mock salute. "Don't think about it... _feel_ it instead."

Kyu rolled her eyes, "You've been up here before... and last time you were on your own. Trust me homie, you got this!"

A snap of her fingers and the fairy vanished in dusting of magical sparkles, _"Remember dude... use your Talent. Do that... and you can get whatever the Hell you want in life."_

* * *

Mike took a deep breath to soak up the atmosphere of the club. His ears resonated with the sound of chart music humming in the background. Monday to Friday they played all the same electronic garbage in here, but Saturday and Sunday were different. The manager let in live bands and changed things up - making it a local hangout for the Rock crowd.

The blonde tapped his foot impatiently, "We ready to go yet, Jamie?"

A figure kneeled several feet behind - a man. He was a tall and stocky in terms of build = arms hairy and his hair greasy and matted. Lopsided shades concealed his eyes. Looking up with a grunt - the behemoth of a man put down the coil of black cables in his chunky hands.

"Yeah, not long now, Mike," Jamie responded - going back to plugging a crimson coloured guitar into an amp. "I just need to finish up here and we'll be almost ready."

"Good, good!" Mikey nodded in response, turning around to aim his eyes across the stage area to a mirror image - two identical twins.

"Neil... Steve," he moved to stand beside them, "You ready to do this?"

At first there was little in the way of a reply. Of course, they were distracted as always. Sighing, Mike took a moment to look them over as they hurried with their preparations - both adjusting their headsets with matching vigor.

Their identical clothing was striking - black jeans and vests with well-shined shoes. Both of them stood tall in size, but were thin in build, their pale; long arms scrawled in black ink tribal tattoos. Powerful brown eyes and long hair of purest night - nothing about them differed, making it a true nightmare to tell them apart. It had been easier in the past to identify them as a duo instead of asking for one specific half of the whole.

A nod in perfect sync from the two of them was the closest thing to a response Mike got from the two of them. It never ceased to creep him out when they did that, ever.

"We're good to go." Jamie voice bounced from behind the trio - a solid thumbs up gesture from one of his chunky hands acting as the signal before he dashed off stage.

The music inside the club cutting dead. This was it - the point of no return. Their time on stage was now. Sound hummed faintly over the club speakers for a moment, their backing track, and with the mic now in hand, Mike stepped forward - the curtains slowly crawling upward. Their obscuring him and his bandmates from view no longer.

Those green eyes of Mikey's scanned the crowd for just a brief moment. It gave him nervous adrenaline, a small sea of faces, no doubt that Lusties was well over half full, a couple of hundred people at least.

A suave sigh of adrenaline escaped from the denim-clad gent's mouth as he prepared, "We're the Third Betrayal," Mikey spoke smoothly and calmly - the backing track kicking in loudly, causing the speaker cones to shake. Their song was live and ready to go - a heavy modern Rock track with plenty of shred.

"We hope you enjoy," the twin guitarists chimed confidently through their headsets - picks moving to caress guitars as they started their piece.

The twins kicked up the opening to the song with flare. Mike simply closed his eyes and became absorbed in the music. It was almost time for his verse. As he opened his eyes again, they caught glance of a fiery red hue. A girl with pale skin; a frilly red dress; and long burning red hair. She was right at the front - stood there with her arms folded. Her expression was interesting; half pissed off, and half-curious, as her slender fingers knitted around the drink in her right hand.

It was time - Mike disregarded the sight of the girl as his verse drew in. One of the twins broke into a powerful solo on his guitar. That was the signal for the verse to start.

"Bring it back to me," Mike's voice smoothly called into the microphone, "The power that longs for me, what I need to take for my-self. This destiny, it's mine, against the will of all that's right, held back for too long, but now it's gonna be fine."

The crowd, they cheered with mighty flare. It was a call for more; they wanted the band to keep going. Even the girl at the front - Mike saw her sipping her drink with great interest. Everything was going smoothly - time to kick it up a notch. He closed his eyes and sang harder - all while the twins broke into synchronised riffs. The club was under their total control - and their idea to play in Lusties seemed to be a raging success.

The whole house wanted more from the trio. An hour later and they were still on stage. This didn't look to end their set anytime soon. Everyone was up on his their feet.

* * *

When their slot did come to a final; mighty end, Mike found himself slumped over the bar. It was a good hour at least since they'd finished packing their stuff up. With a tired smile, the young vocalist hailed the bartender "Give me a double, hold the ice," he yawned, face pressed against the bar.

Heeled footsteps echoed from behind. Mike didn't move. He hadn't the energy after such an intense show.

"HEY!" An abrupt, loud voice invaded his ears - body moving on automatic to pull from the tired heap in which it sat. When his eyes met with the sound of the voice from a moment ago, he found the color of deep red staring back at him.

"I saw you standing at the front," Mike smiled smoothly, "You got a name I can fit with your _lovely_ face?"

That frilly dress; the long red hair, those piercing eyes she had, they were one heck of a combination, "….Well, YEAH!" she snorted in smug response, "My name's Audrey, and you know, considering that your music doesn't _totally_ suck balls, I was HOPING you might buy me a drink."

She had some real personality - that was for damn sure. Mike laughed, "I think I can do that," he nodded, brushing back his blond strands. "Whatever you want, I'll get it for ya."

"GOD, okay! Stop being so cheerful and like, hurry up with my Daiquiri already. Audrey swept in like a diva and stole the seat to his side - hands rested impatiently upon her sides while she waited.

With a snap of his fingers Mike hailed the bartender again, "Your wish is my command."

After the drinks were ready, he looked back to the redhead. His eyes diverted downward to a piece of paper sat there on the table. Upon it was a hasty pen scribble. Numbers, and badly written ones at that.

"My digits," Audrey spoke in such an entitled tone. Her words implied so much, it was almost as if she was saying to Mike that he should be grateful, "Call me when you're like, gonna play here again... or you wanna to hang out sometime... not that I give a shit or anything."

The world slowed to a blur for the slightest moment - everything moved at half speed. A conquest of the female heart - and man did it feel good!

A smile curved Mike's lips as the world regained its normal pace, "Thanks…. You must like my music, huh?"

Another arrogant snort erupted from Audrey as she slid her drink closer, "Hmm… It's not bad!"

Alas, the drinking continued in honor of this personal victory. Mike's heart swelled with pride. It felt like things were finally picking up after such a long time. The band was in business, and this smoking hot girl had given him her number.

Someone's hand on the shoulder caused the smooth singer to flinch. Turning, he caught sight of the person who had stolen the seat to his other side.

"What's up, Kyu?" Mikey sipped his whiskey. The timing of her arrival was just too good - especially since Audrey was starting to go off on self-important rant.

The sexy fairy shrugged - her face curving into a very strange smile indeed, "….Just wanted to say that you did well tonight! You totally look boss right now!"

A cool smirk overtook the blond man's features - the core of his being pulsing with pride., "Thanks," his smooth voice sparked with a suave flare. "Having things go my way feels… good... real good!"

This sensation - the feeling of being on top of the game for a change - Mike liked it.

"You know what? I could get used to this..."

**To be continued….**


	3. Cold Coffee

This completely crazy night was not going well for Mike. He left the house not knowing what in the Hell he would do about things. He wasn't any closer to finding some kind of solid answer now either. Things with Audrey were a mess. There was also the risk of keeping Tiffany waiting if he took much longer as well. He needed clarity, but there wasn't a single shred of it right now. His sluggish pace across the near-empty streets of town, brought him no closer to finding any sort of solace.

He sighed, and brought a tired hand through his peroxide hair, "Stop following me, Audrey."

Her footsteps gave it away, the hasty clacking of her heels made her pursuit as clear as daylight. The redhead stopped with a low growl as the voice of her now ex 'something' echoed back to her.

"You asshole," Audrey angrily spat in a low tone of voice; "I gave you a month of MY time. That's more than I've given any other guy in like... years, you know!"

"My point," the girl snorted with the selfish bravado of a spoiled teenager, "is that you could at least listen to me for TWO FUCKING SECONDS!"

Her constant change of tone annoyed Mike terribly. One moment this bratty young madam was telling him things were done. Now? Dammit! She needed to stop.

In the end, a growl of extreme frustration erupted from him, and all the while, he swung around to look the girl in her bright ruby eyes, "Fine. You're not going to let me go until I listen to you, are you?"

His rhetorical question bore so much venom.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence, and it lasted for several more long seconds. By then it was simply too late. Mike turned his back and walked away.

Her silence was gave it all away. He could tell Audrey stared down at her dainty; pale hands in disgust.

The sound of shoes beating against the sidewalk haunted the senses - but no matter what, he wouldn't turn back.

"….Just keep my number, okay Mikey?" Miss Belrose's high-pitched voice echoed down the almost empty street. A couple of nosy passers-by stopped to watch the exchange, their whispers proving stabbing like daggers into the heart. Why did people have to be so nosy?

Mike's feet stopped one final time. He couldn't bring himself to walk away - something about leaving Audrey alone, despite everything, hurt a lot.

One of his hands came to rest upon his chest for a moment while he exhaled the tension. All he could bring himself to do wave dismissively to Audrey, back still turned.. After that, there was nothing else. Picking up the pace once again, he rounded the corner. "Sorry... but I think we should leave this whole thing alone for now. A little space might help straighen things out..."

* * *

The redhead party girl stopped following - his words hitting far harder than she ever thought possible.

That was it, game over. Alone in the middle of the street, there stood a lonely and bewildered Audrey. Her face, however, bore the expression of a sad little girl. The other pedestrians got bored with the whole thing moments ago and had long since moved on. Thank fuck for that. Why didn't people keep to their own fucking lanes?

Silence, it consumed her very core, and she hated it. There was no music, no idle chatter, nothing.

"I tried, I tried…. FUCK! I tried my best," Audrey choked; all the while, her entire body shook like a leaf in the wind.

Along came the jitters. It'd been so long since her last smoke. Something inside her, a rouge emotion of some kind, or maybe an admission of the truth, whatever it was, was trying to escape. The awful lack of nicotine wasn't helping.

Whipping out the lighter from her dress pocket, the she scowled, firing up a cigarette.

"Fuck this... Who does he think he is? Telling me we need a break? I'm Audrey fucking Belrose!"

Ignoring how lonely she must've looked, a woman sat down on the sidewalk; her cold and cloudy eyes looked up questioningly at the sky as she took long and heavy drags. One after another, as her mind went too fast to keep up with, her smokes burned out.

Could tonight possibly get any worse? Her boyfriend left and nothing left to distract.

Well - she'd soon change that. Looking back, her ears taken by the sound of club music, Audrey found a tiny shred of comfort at the sight of Lusties across the street.

* * *

Tiffany sat under the dim lights of the café. She needed to speak to her boyfriend about something very important. The thoughts inside found themselves slowly grating upon her, but she couldn't find any creative way to stop thinking about them. Yet all Mike did since he got here was stare almost emotionlessly at his black coffee. There was steam coming from it, well, about twenty minutes ago, anyway. Now it was ice cold.

The skinny fingers of Miss Maye seemed to have a mind of their own tonight. They nervously caressed the base of her coffee mug. Subconsciously, she fidgeted in her seat as her long; blonde pigtails flowing down the front of her neatly buttoned shirt

"Mike," she began quietly, bringing her nervous hands down to adjust the tassels on her skirt with dexterity, "Hey, Earth calling Mikey," she spoke again, this time a little more playfully.

His unfocused gaze remained half-empty at best. The usual brightness in those eyes of his, the two orbs of green that Tiffany found so pretty when they first spent time together, wasn't there. What was up with him tonight?

"Yeah, I'm with ya! I'm with ya," his tone had the slightest boost in the flare department, but nothing major. "So, what did you want to talk about, Tiffy?"

The beautiful cheerleader smiled warmly. She loved that nickname, a special something from their first date a couple of months ago, "We're getting really close, don't you think?

She spoke with such fondness upon her delicate features. Those blue eyes of hers sparkled against the dim lighting of the establishment.

"Yeah, they are," A weak smile graced Mike's lips. He still seemed so distracted tonight. "I'm glad you invited me to your pep rally the other week."

"It was my pleasure, babe," The cheerleader gave a happy smile while nervously jumping up from her seat, "I'm going to get you a refill, okay? That one's gone cold!"

She had to do something to cheer him up - even if another drink was only a small gesture.

"You don't have to do that for me," he replied kindly, his free hand moving from the coffee mug into his jacket pocket. Was he going for his wallet?

"No, no. I insist! I dragged you out here after all," Tiffany spun on her heels to make a break for the counter; it was a rather nervous break for it at that.

She wasn't going to give Mike the chance to turn down her offer.

Heading toward the counter, she flashed him a bright smile, making sure he got a good look at her in the lovely new outfit she'd just bought. Blue with little white tassels, and it clung to her slender golden thighs delightfully. It was the perfect complimenting item to all those buttoned white shirts she wore, well, that was what she believed , anyway. It was a happy thought at last, one she needed to perk her mood. It was hard to shake the feeling of concern when her boyfriend looked so distant.

* * *

Tiffany sat waywardly when she came back, one leg crossed anxiously over the other as her little heart fluttered within her chest. Those delicate fingers of hers wrapped around Mike's fresh cup of coffee. With a small upward curve of the lips, she slid it gracefully across the table to him.

One of her hands found its way to his after that. She rested it rested atop gently, trying her best to get through to him. "I have something to ask you." It was normal for Tiffany's voice to have so much life to it, this time though it was relatively flat in comparison. Her flushed cheeks were a remarkable sight, so cute and delicate.

"That adorable blush of yours is one of the reasons I asked you to come out with me that night, you know, the time you spilled your drink on me at the bar," his smooth voice chimed compassionately, his hand lightly squeezing hers.

It was a moment that changed everything for Tiffany. There was nothing in the world right now that she would rather have done, even by accident, "I couldn't say no to you after seeing you so depressed on the football pitch. Besides... it was that night that brought us together I think," the blue-eyed angel grinned.

Such an occurrence was truly an amusing thing when he thought back. Mikey was expecting a simple drink that night, not to be covered in said drink, "It was a really impressive move when you think about it... I've never seen somebody trip over a bar stool like that."

"Hey, shut up," Tiffany playfully stuck out her tongue, "It was a tiny slip up," she giggled while entwining her fingers with those of her boyfriend. Another young couple beside them looked across with a warm chuckle before going back to their tea and cookies.

"I'm lucky there's such a thing as dry cleaning," said Mike sarcastically as he brought his eyes to connect with the girl sat before him, "You have to be really careful with denim."

It was true, so true that the skirt-clad girl could only bring herself to wink affectionately, "I swear, you're in love with that jacket…. You wear it quite a bit."

That topic still felt raw if anything. Mike knew that his lovely lady didn't mean anything by it, but it still brought him into deep thought. His expression, it dropped, and became a little distant again. The new look was part of how successful he had become in the past few months. To say it was important to him would've been an understatement. That, and it was a reminder of Kyu.

"Mikey? Miiike... Hey, you're phasing out on me again. Goodness, what's up, hmm?"

A gentle reminder to snap him back to reality. Mike's body jittered slightly as he connected his eyes of green with her blue ones. "Oh, sorry," he spoke quickly, "I've been doing that a lot tonight, haven't I?"

Free hand now moved to clasp Mike's other, the smiling girl nodded, "Only for like, the third time, silly! Is everything okay with you?"

A gentle nod was all Mike gave. "It's been a long night, sweetie. What did you want to talk to me about, anyhow?"

Instantly back on the defensive, with hands shyly slid across the table and rested nervously in her lap.

Goodness this was difficult to say outright. Nervous, Miss Maye looked toward the table, her cheeks warming in a glow of red. "You wanna… come over this weekend?"

"To your dorm?" There was a questioning tone in the gent's tired voice, "You haven't shown me your place on campus before."

"My house," she responded at a near whisper, "I was wondering if you might want to... see my house. My mom, she's out for the weekend and-"

This was a bad idea. Mike was too quiet about the whole thing and it wasn't making things any easier. Darn, she'd rushed into things here. There had to be a way to make a save here. After all, she didn't want to push him away when he already looked so different and distant tonight. Seconds ticked onward, and all the while her blond love just kept on staring into the coffee.

She couldn't take it anymore. Reaching out, the cheerleader placed a warm, comforting hand upon his arm. "Hey you! Mike... You're doing it again!

Shy as a blushing violet, her blue eyes glimmered softly from across the table, "Hey, you're spacing out again, dummy…. D-don't leave me hanging like this… say something," she stuttered her cheeks puffed out in embarrassment.

Her entire body was warm, to say she felt hot and flustered was putting it lightly.

A few seconds more went by before Mike plugged back in to reality again, "It should be cool, as long as I have the weekend free! I'll call and let you know!"

"Thank goodness," came her voice in a gentle sigh of response, "I was so nervous! I thought you might say no to me straight out!" The small fingers of the girl were back to absentmindedly playing around with her coffee cup again. After getting so worked up she needed a dinky little outlet.

Yet Mike didn't seem all too happy about everything they'd gone over tonight. Was he at his limit or something? Had something happened? There were too many questions going around inside the young lady's head.

"Of course I wouldn't do that," he finally answered her with a weak smile, reaching out to place his hand within hers, holding her with a small, exhausted sigh.

If he weren't going to let her down, then why did he look so utterly miserable?

Tiffany closed her eyes - trying to dull the thoughts. Yet she couldn't. They kept racing around inside, keeping her wide-eyed and awake against her desire switch off and calm down.

* * *

"Oh, fuck me," came a muffled growl from out in the hall, "C'mon door, open…."

With a bang of the shoulder, the door to Mike's apartment came swinging open, allowing him to staggered through ungracefully. After today he didn't have a shred of energy left. Devoid of fire in his eyes, he slumped against the door frame.

A nudge from the heel of his sore left foot sent the door swinging shut with a thunderous bang. It certainly took a long time to walk home tonight. Still unable to properly focus on anything, he outstretched his right-hand fingers in a fumble for the light switch. He found nothing.

Too tired to care, the singer waded through the dark. "Eh, forget it…."

This was getting harder to move by the second. Mike's legs felt tangled and heavy. They lacked any sort of direction, and combined with the blackness of the room, brought him to nudge into the furniture. Was that the glass coffee table?

Reaching down, he ran the tips of his fingers against the edges of the object. Yep, it felt like glass, alright.

There came a tiny yawn from a little ways across the shrouded room.

"C'mere. A voice followed, accompanied by the light fluttering of what sounded like wings.

"Kyu," the exhausted blond man began, "You still in here?"

Mike gently flinched as a pair of delicate hands came to rest upon his broad; jacket-clad shoulders, "I never left."

Yep, it was definitely her. There was no mistaking that soft, playful voice.

With gentle pacing, Kyu guided her friend and client around lounge area, her wings fluttering as she went. "Easy there, playa. The couch is right here."

By now, the young man's sight had adjusted ever so slightly to the dark of the room. He could make out of the vauge outline of Kyu's facial features as he sat down beside her, the soft glow of her magical eyes bringing a hint of pinkish light as she went.

"Good night?" Kyu asked with yet another yawn as she flipped back her messy pink hair, "You look tired as shit, dude."

All the time she was speaking, the delicate fairy outstretched legs across the couch and rested them upon the man beside her.

Mike sighed and laid his head back, desperate for a little comfort. "You've pretty much moved in half the time, haven't you?"

A happy little chuckle escaped from Kyu before she rubbed her droopy eyes, "It's comfy, and you're not a bad roommate. Besides, somebody needs to keep an eye on your hopeless ass."

"Hopeless is right," Mikey scoffed while he carelessly threw off his jacket carelessly and tossed it across the room. "Shit's gotten crazy complicated, and fast."

"Awww," Kyu teasingly giggled, resting a friendly hand upon his shoulder yet again, "Still having relationship problems there, oh smooth one?"

With barely the energy left to explain, Mike simply ran a tired hand through his bleached hair. His body slumped into comfy embrace leather and a long; drawn out sigh broke free from the very pit of his soul. "The Audrey ship's halfway sunk to the bottom of the ocean, and now I have Tiffany coming on stronger. I'm still not sure what the hell to do..."

"Ohhhh, Mike. Mikey, Mikey, Mikey, you really are my bravest project yet," chimed the fairy with a series of petite chuckles from her soft pinkish lips, "I bet it's at times like this that you wish you could forget about those two and just sleep with me."

"Haha," he smiled weakly, feeling the last sparks of his energy fizzle out, "That would be fun, never been, with a fairy before..."

He felt a sudden warmth as the fairy girl gently placed her arms around his chest and gave him a deep hug, "Sleep tight, you big idiot."

Mikey stirred, meeting her with equal softness. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, dude."

Kyu pulled away and put her feet upon his lap yet again, toes wiggling against his chest as she no doubt tried to get comfy.

It had been a long day. Giving in to the embrace of sleep, Mike felt his body float away. It was time for some rest.

_'Whatever tomorrow brings I'll deal with it. Until then... time to get some shut eye.'  
_

**To be continued….**


	4. Morning After

Eyes fluttered open to signal the start of a new day. They took focus upon the ceiling with great strain. Through blurred vision came a little sigh from delicate pink lips. The flood of morning light wasn't a pleasant thing, even though the darkened curtains in the apartment. It sure was uncomfortable. Human or fairy, the same rules applied when it came to dragging your sorry ass out of bed before noon.

Wings gently fluttered against the silent contrast within the room. Her eyes cast downward, a certain pink-haired magical creature let out a little sigh and ran a slender hand through her locks, "I really hate mornings."

"Turn off the T.V, Kyu."

A little chuckle broke free from Kyu's lips as she took note of Mike. He remained good and sprawled against the length of the cold leather couch, eyes shut and asleep, but his expression was a little uncomfortable to say the least. He looked on the verge of waking, but instead, let out a quiet groan and turned back over.

Kyu smiled softly as she pulled herself upright in her corner of the couch, "Go back to sleep, Mike…. The TV's already off..."

Another sleepy groan sounded from the man's mouth before he fell back into the deep embrace of slumber. With a little shake of her head, Kyu got up from the couch and walked through the lounge. Damn did she need to freshen up.

It was a simple setup inside the bathroom, white tiles with silver taps and a shower; a bathtub too, but only a small one. Slick yet modern and functional. It was the trend in the whole apartment really, and something that the blond-haired owner seemed to work into his life. When she thought back, Kyu found herself nodding in appraisal of her client's progress.

"He's a big improvement from when I first met him. Still, he can't get his shit in gear with the ladies right now…."

The fairy grabbed her magenta toothbrush and gazed sleepily in the mirror. "Dammit, Kyu. "You really need to fix up your hair, girl."

Her nightclothes needed changing too. Something light and airy would do. Flashing a tiny smile, she brought her full attention toward brushing her teeth, a sometimes-lengthy chore, but one she took pride in. It was the same with her appearance, not counting mornings.. Once everything was done with on the hygiene front, Kyu gave a sparkling snap of the fingers, wisps of fairy magic twisting around her body.

"A dress should be good today." Pink and lace crackled into existence, squeezing tight around her slender expanse. The usual style - something the fairy was very happy to wear most days. True, the weather in the human world sucked a little compared to Sky Garden, but it had its good days.

A loud thud shook the floor, the resounding bang coming from from the lounge. A pained groan of tiredness echoed from across the apartment, with the sound of sluggish feet dragging across the hardwood. "Screw this living room," Mike groaned with frustration.

He sure wasn't a morning person, either. Supressing her amusement with a snort, Kyu zipped up the back of her dress. "Trouble in there, eh Mikey?"

"Fell off the couch," he paused, drifitng past the bathroom as he made his way toward the kitchen area. "Gonna make a coffee."

The clattering of cups filled the confines of the apartment as he got to work. "You want one?"

True, she'd just brushed her teeth, but it was hard to say. Coffee - an awesome human invention that even held weight in the fairy world.

"Sure thing, bro. Lots of milk."

* * *

Breakfast wasn't really breakfast in this house. In fact, it was more like a lunch considering the time her client woke up. On days when Mike didn't play with the band he usually slept until noon anyway. Kyu had been there for a while, but it didn't take her longer than a few weeks to realize just how much of a heavy sleeper the hopeless blond was/

She watched in vague interest as Mike's thumbs slinked around his coffee mug and caressed the base. It was one of his ticks, something he did when deep thoughts swam around in his head - another thing that Kyu didn't take long to figure out upon her arrival into his life.

A soft giggle escaped her lips. Venus definately give her a very interesting case to work on this time around. Still, it beat drifting around with nothing to do while she waited for a new job to come in. The love fairy market was kinda dry around Glenberry recently, so being thrown straight back into the deep end with Mike was something of a refreshing thing. That, and plenty of the previous guys she had to work with were assholes. Mikey? He was different - a friend. His hopeless nature and his good heart were a welcome change.

"Looks like you're in some pretty serious thought over there."

Kyu gave him a prod, swiping a piece of toast from the little plate on the shiny glass coffee table. "You alright over there, homie?"

Mike didn't respond at first, taking several moments to reconnect before he gave a nod. With a very neutral expression, he took a sip of his coffee from the mug, placing it back down with a sigh of relief. Dark rings smudged across the glass, a sure sign of not using drink coasters

"Last night made me think," he spoke, arms folded defensively across his vest-clad torso.

A vest and shorts, a very simple wardrobe change after his shower this morning.

Kyu nodded, a piece of toast hanging limp from the corner of her mouth, "You did say that shit didn't go well last night," she mumbled, the toast still held between her lips. She bit down with a crunch, holding it firmly between her thumb and fingers.

Mikey man shook his head.

"No, it didn't. Audrey showed up again, first time in weeks too."

He frowned in grim recollection. "I thought me had her were done, you know? Apparently she didn't think so, cuz she lost it after overhearing my conversation with Tiff on the phone."

Mike carried on by telling her everything, his argument with Audrey, the redhead telling him that he wasn't anything more than a cheap weekend tumble, Tiffany's newfound aggressiveness, and her desire for him to go and visit her house next weekend.

All through his explanation, he remained low and withdrawn. Having to recall the events of last night was obviously a discomfort. Then again, it was hardly surprising. Kyu continued to listen with bright eyes and a smile.

"You kinda had it rough last night, dude."

She reached out to put a hand on Mike's shoulder. "This little love fairy thinks you still have some hang-ups over Audrey, too…"

Mike growled with a hint of disgust. "Christ," he rolled his eyes with frustration. "You helped me turn half the crap in my life around, and I'm STILL this transparent…."

She gave him a sharp tap across the cheek with the palm of her hand, not quite a slap, but it was halfway there, "Don't start all that negative shit…. You're easy to figure out, yeah, but that's a good thing."

The love fairy backed up a across the couch and cleared her throat to speak, "I've been doing this job for years, and I've had to work with plenty of people," she started with an index finger pointed at Mike.

"Some of the guys I worked with were assholes. Some of the others? Well... they actually ended up worse at the end of my being there... and in the end my boss just cancelled the job…."

She kept her finger pointed toward the blond all the time she spoke. "You though, blondie... you aren't an asshole…. You act tough, but you're one of the sensitive guys."

Mike bowed his head in acknowledgement. Not a word. His expression however, was even more thoughtful.

Well it seemed like she'd gotten through to him. It was time to pick up the pace. "I usually get sent to asshole jocks and walking train-wrecks. It's not often they send me to a guy that's just too hopeless for his own good."

A dry chuckle escaped from Mike's lips. Cynical much? Regardless, he brought his gaze up from his lap.

"I took things to heart with Audrey…. Maybe I was stupid, but she was my first time."

"See?" Kyu grinned.

"There's that heart of yours! I saw it when we met. You had no confidence, and you took everything too serious."

"Story of my life," Mike admitted, "I guess I owe you for helping me with that, though. At least I'm confident now."

"So that means you can listen to my next little piece of advice."

At last, some progress. She stared tared him in the eyes with great intensity. "Make up your mind…. If you like Audrey, chase her…. If you wanna make things work with Tiffany, forget the redhead and move on."

Mike ran a hand through his peroxide hair, giving a confident nod, "You're right…. This is like, one of those fork in the road situations. I've gotta choose... and just go with it."

"That's the spirit," the fairy let out a little cheer of excitement, leaning ever closer. "But c'mere first, you big dummy..."

"What is- Mmmmm," Mikey was caught off guard as she wrapped slender arms around his waist, bringing soft pink lips against his with a playful wink. Deepening their connection, a soft moan escaped as she nudged him onto his back.

Kyu's wings gently flapped a little as she tasted her friend's lips; legs holding him in place. Eyes of pink drank up the sight of his emerald gaze, the unease in his expression melting away.

Talk about submissive. Was he this laid back with Audrey? Surely not! A girl with so much fire needed somebody with just as much strength and passion.

Oh well. She'd had enough fun for now. Nipping down against Mike's lip for a moment, Kyu pulled back.

Dazed and confused, Mike sat himself upright, his expression awash with wonderment - fingers tracing lightly across the spot upon which Kyu's lips had been. The look in his eyes, something between a lovestruck puppy and a dear in headlights, was so cute.

A gentle laugh was what Kyu gave in response, "Don't think too much of it," she smiled teasingly, "You're my friend, Mike, and I don't usually have a soft spot for humans…. I want you to know that however this plays out, me and you, we're cool!"

"Haha," Mike gave a smooth smile and got to his feet. "Where would I be without you?"

Kyu chuckled at the thought. "Still wearing those awful movie shirts, and trying to figure out what the hell to do with yourself."

"No kidding," Mike spoke in earnest agreement. He gave a dismissive sigh and climbed over the couch, "I'm gonna get changed and head out. You're right…. I've gotta make up my mind."

Kyu fluttered up from the couch on her wings and gave a wink, "Go get em, tiger! Trust me, you've got this."

* * *

Kyu sat alone in the apartment. Her eyes fell upon the show playing out on the television. It was something about a boy in highschool, one of those Japanese anime shows. He was dating one girl, but messing around with another on the side-lines. So the first girl stabbed him, and then the other one went crazy and ended up stashing his body aboard the family sailing ship.

"Gawd," she scoffed, flicking over to another channel. "The plot just went crazy…. Still, that was a nice boat."

Damn it was getting boring - sitting around in here with nothing to do. The fairy brought her eyes upward, flashing a pink glance in the direction of the clock.

"Almost seven," Kyu yawned, "I wonder if Mikey's busy getting his shit together?"

Her thoughts flashed back to the kiss. It was enough to make her laugh as she pulled her petite body upright from its resting place upon the kitchen chair.

"It's not against the rules screwing around with the clients," she beamed with warmth, "Still... Maybe it's best I leave it there…. Wouldn't want him to take it too seriously."

The love fairy brought her attention across to the fridge and pulled open the door. Where did the eggs and milk go? The endless amounts of meat snacks and chocolate treats were a little jarring.

"He's a good guy."

Kyu hummed, reaching out to grab the dairy produce from beside the pasta sides "A little too soft, but hey…. It's is not like you see that all the time with human guys. It's a pretty awesome change."

Yet it made her sad too - a frown overtaking her lips. "He's my first job in over a year. Once he gets stuff figured out… I won't be able to stick around very long."

Still, Kyu pushed such a negative thought to the back of her mind and placed the milk under her arm, "I better enjoy his company while it lasts."

"Venus, you bitch," she smirked, kicking the fridge door shut, "The first decent job you give me in forever…. I can't believe I'm actually enjoying this!"

**To be continued….**


	5. Sober Reflection

Mike found himself sat in the Bar and Lounge. He was well adjusted to the clubs and the nice drinking places by now. In fact, whenever he felt the need to put his life into perspective properly, he came in here.

"I met Kyu in here... Can't believe it's been so long since then. She found me moping into a glass of liqour like an idiot... Damn..."

Talk about irony. He was doing the exact same thing right now. "C'mon... Get a grip."

The hearts of two girls were in the balance. It was important he didn't screw this up. Choosing one meant ultimately hurting the other. Audrey or Tiffany?

"Two girls…. Feels more like three," Mike uttered in a low tone, his emerald eyes staring longingly into the glass.

Thoughts of a certain pink-haired fairy seemed to be invading his mind a lot as of late. Her sarcastic but ultimately caring nature; her smile, and most importantly, her friendship over the last year or so had been truly irreplaceable.

"Nope. Don't go there..."

The young man was quick to reject such rogue thoughts with a shake of the head. The whole 'Kyu' territory was a little too much.

"I need to keep the fairy out of my head." His words were steely in conclusion.

Obeying the faint flicker in his heart for a third woman, and a fairy no less, would ultimately screw things up in the long run.

Shit, this wasn't proving easy. The sheer alcohol intake started to make Mikey hot as his brain worked in overtime to ponder the whole situation.

It's was good job he ditched the denim in favour of simple, more appealing attire tonight. A low buttoned dark blue shirt; a par of pressed casual black trousers, and some well-polished black dress shoes. His goatee was gone, shaved off in favour of a smoother appearance, his peroxide hair gelled back in a slick but stylish manner.

It was all thanks to his hairdresser, Kyanna.

A light clank reached Mike's ears, snapping him out of his light alcohol sweat. The pleasing sight of another drink sitting on his table was enough to cause a faint smile.

"This one's on the house, Mike," the bartender gave a snap of his fingers, "Now... I better go serve those girls by the bar. Later, man."

"Thanks. Appreciate it."

Mike set things back in motion after popping the buttons on his shirt. Damn was it hot in here.

"Cool air... that's better."

Eying the freshly placed beverage, he gave a relaxed smirk. "Forth one tonight..."

Glancing down after taking a sip, the sight of his shiny silver watch revealed the surprising truth of the time - nine in the evening.

"Tiffany and Audrey."

Both girls had become points of great stress for the young singer over the past few of months. Stressful yes, but also happiness, too. Just saying their names evoked memories that were both warm and gloomy, and sometimes not in equal measure. It didn't matter, though. Part of him didn't want to be without either one of them.

His mind flashed back to Tiffany, her long blonde hair that flowed elegantly down her back - and her attitude as warm as morning sunshine. Her cheerfulness was definitely a plus point.

"She has this amazing way of simply walking into the room, and then you feel happy."

Another swift gulp of golden liquor refreshed his frayed senses. Pushing the empty empty glass away, he Focused on Miss Maye - thinking back to the moment they first met.

"It was after her cheer rally, wow... That feels like so long ago now."

Mikey basked in gentle recollection, his thoughts drifting like flowing water into the sea of his past.

* * *

The sun shone in a cloudless sky. However, it was a day that gave Mike very little to smile about. He sat and pondered the chaos of his current life situation, unable to really get a grasp of things beyond the surface. In the end, the football field was just about the only place where he could centre his thoughts.

Eyes cast outward to the football pitch; Mikey caught a glimpse of the cheerleading squad as they practiced in the morning sun. Nobody came out here apart from the cheer squad at this time in the morning, and hiding in the far corner of the stands was about as secluded as one could get right about now.

"Hey, do you need something?" A delicate, friendly voice filled Mike's ears. It was enough to pry him away from his grim thoughts of the future. Alas, the young man's eyes caught the glimpse of a girl, her golden blonde hair in pigtails and a snug fitting cheerleader outfit hugged her body. Her expression was both one of concern, yet warmth at the same time.

"Oh, no…. Nothing like that," Mike was quick to retreat into his shell, a fact made even more true when he considered just how attractive the girl was She had fair skin with a couple of tiny little freckles, and her ocean blue eyes glimmered like magic in the warming glow of the morning light.

"I just… thought I'd make sure you're okay. The girl smiled - friendly flare in her soft and gentle voice. "It's just… you've been sat here every morning for the past three days…."

"I've been in deep thought, Mike replied with a weak smile, adjusting the buttons on his jacket shyly. "Watching you ladies practice helps me feel a little better with myself. You look so into it. I envy that I guess... I'm a musician you see... and it feels like me and my band are losing direction lately."

The young lady smiled with consideration, "Mind if I sit with you? I'm taking a break while the rest of the girls go over the routine."

Mikey pondered the thought. Right now, he wasn't sure if he would be much good to anybody, let alone such a cheerful, beautiful young woman. His mind stayed slumped over the thought for a moment longer, before he finally gave a stiff nod in response, "Sure thing.

Wanting to be a little more welcoming, he moved to make a little space on the bench.

"I'm Mikey." The tone of voice he gave was one still shrouded with a cloudy inflection.

"Tiffany," the girl smiled in response.

"I know who you are, too," she continued with a soft chuckle - her gaze fixated upon Mike's green eyes. "I was there at the start of the year. I watched when you and your band helped out some of the music students with their live performance."

That was back at the start of the year. Third Betrayal came to the college campus, just as Tiffany said. A couple of the second year music students had to finish preparing a live music performance for extra credit, and being friends of Mike and his band, they asked him and one of the twins to provide backing vocals.

The revelation of someone remembering him like that was enough to make Mikey feel a little more upbeat. Music was his life after all.

"Back then we still had more of a metal vibe," he explained, "These days we focus a lot more on rock music."

"You have a nice voice."

Her response was warm and supportive in every way possible. "I think you should keep on singing the way you are now. Don't let it go to waste."

Ironic, because that was exactly what Kyu said when she first arrived too. She believed quite strongly that the talents of Mike and his band were wasted playing the way they used to. In fact, she had been pushing him lately to keep away from raspy vocals and all the growling that went with Metal.

"You're not the first person to say that, Tiffany." Mike gave a soft nod of resolve. "You really like our new style, though? You seen us play around town at all? We're in Lusties Nightclub sometimes."

"Yeah! I've seen you there once before. You're talented, just like me and the girls." Tiffany brought her gaze away from Mike and back toward the pitch where the cheer squad continued to run through their steps. "Just like we love to cheer, you and your friends love to make music. I admire anyone who puts in hard work like that."

Yet out of nowhere her expression darkened, apparently lost somewhere far away.

Caught off guard by how sudden it was, Mikey called out to her. "Hey, are you okay? You seemed totally checked out for a second."

Tiffany gave a swift nod. "Yes, I'm fine. Just... thinking. You talking like you did made me think of my own situation."

Her voice had changed - turning small and shy compared to her earlier bubbly persona. "Don't doubt yourself, Mike. Sometimes it's easier to focus on the road ahead, make a plan and just stick to it."

Mike gave a slow and concerned nod to the young lady before his cautious expression twisted into a weak smile, " After talking with you today... I think that's exactly what I'll do."

No kidding, her pep talk had worked wonders in picking up his mood. Wanting to return the favour, he took a scrap of paper and a pen from his jacket pocket, scribbling down his phone number.

"You're the one looking sad now," he gave a warm smile, reaching out to place the paper into her open palm. "Let me return the favor here. If you need someone to talk to then feel free to call. I'm free most weeknights. Who knows? Maybe we could go for a bite to eat?"

The cheerleader seemed taken aback at first, her bright blue eyes widening a little.

An abrupt pause. Finally, after what seemed so long, her smile was back again. "Sure thing! I'd like that!"

Awesome. It was nice to see her a little happier now. Mike stood from his place on the bench, giving her a supportive thumbs up. "I'll see you around then. Thanks though, Tiffany. You've really helped me put a few things into perspective. I mean it... I owe you for this. Whatever you want. Dinner. A couple of drinks. You name it - my treat."

Tiffany got up too. "I'd be fine with a little fast food. How about Thursday? Seven good for you?"

That worked just fine. Making his way down the steps, Tiffany beside him, Mikey looked to the in the sky. Suddenly, it seemed so much brighter.

"Seven's good. I'll see you then, Tiffany."

* * *

Mike snapped back to the reality of the bar with a sigh - eyes fixated on the fresh glass of scotch that sat before him. Not even taking a moment to think, he slammed back a mouthful of firewater, enjoying the burn as it slid down his throat.

"Damn, I drink too much."

Disregarding the thought, he went for another gulp. "No. Fuck it, I can't argue with a good glass of liquor."

The current issue remained unsolved. The decision on who to choose was still up in the air, but at this point Mike was very much aware of what each girl represented in his heart. His recollections over the past couple of days only served to reinforce their importance to him.

It was only through such serious thought that another important feeling had become clear within the young man's mind as well.

"I can't deny how I feel about Kyu, either. Fairy or not, there's always been three girls I hold close to heart... not two."

There was no sense in denying it after spending most of the evening sitting and pondering in this quaint little drinking establishment.

If it weren't for Kyu's arrival Mike wouldn't even be a shred of the man that he was today. Though his compassionate nature was something embedded deep within, there were other parts of his personality he wouldn't have developed without a certain love fairy coming to his aid.

"I'm more confident now. I can take control of situations so much better than I could before. I can get up on stage and sweep up the crowd in a storm."

Moreover, his band was on the up, he didn't have money troubles anymore, and his life was becoming ever more enjoyable.

"I owe her so much." The singer's words bore a deep amount of sincerity. "But it isn't what Kyu did for me that makes her special, it's who she is."

Despite her carefree attitude, it was obvious that Kyu cared deeply for her newest client. Even though she didn't say it to him very much, she was willing to go out of her way for him in ways that she hadn't in the past. It made him wonder. How far had Kyu gone for the people Venus made her work with in the past?

"Makes me curious... but still..."

She wasn't just an advisor, but a giver of the kind words of support Mike needed, a heartfelt and genuine friend. Her presence always felt so natural around him. Kyu was a fairy, but that didn't matter. She was great - the kind of companion he'd needed for so many years of his life.

"I fell for her a long time ago," Mikey whispered - nodding in stern admission of his feelings. "No sense in holding back how I really feel anymore."

This entire situation needed to be resolved, a truth that had hung in the air for so long. Needing another chaser to ease the raging nervousness, Mikey slammed back the entirety of his drink and slid yet another empty glass into the middle of the table.

With a sigh, he brought up his hand in a gesture toward the bartender for one last beverage."On the rocks please."

Once that was done he tooked the phone from his pocket - the powerfully glowing Huniebee, and scrolled through the list of contacts.

It was the decisive moment, and in his heart, Mikey knew exactly whom he would choose. There was no going back now. He gave one final resolute nod to assure himself that his choice was the right one, and finally, boldly, pressed the call button on his phone.

The dial tone seemed to chime on for an eternity.

"Mikey! Sup homie?" Kyu chimed over the phone. "You getting things together?"

He responded to her upbeat tone with a serious breath - reaching out with his free hand to take another glass of golden liquid from the passing bartender.

"We need to talk... I've finally made up my mind. I know who I'm gonna choose."

**To be continued...**


End file.
